


Living Lovely

by Theoroark



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, SEP era, Sharing a Bed, Sickfic, Trans Gabriel Reyes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 13:09:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15365370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theoroark/pseuds/Theoroark
Summary: Gabriel is stuck in the hospital post reassignment surgery. Jack is not leaving his side.Or, Local Corn Man Disrespects Regulations To Cuddle





	Living Lovely

Gabriel had been a promising officer, a soldier who had proven his skill and intelligence on the field. He was the highest ranked person to consent to the SEP. And so he had had ample leverage to convince the military to cover the surgery he needed, on top of those they wanted. They had insisted on doing gender reassignment surgery after the experiments had finished, but that was fine, that made sense. He couldn’t have known at the time, but that concession ended up strengthening his position. When only four participants survived out of a hundred, one became quite invested on keeping their meager returns happy.

 

The military had given up on fighting him, now that they had shaped him into the ultimate fighter. But Gabriel was still surprised to see that against all regulations, they had let Jack stay overnight at his bedside.

 

“Hey,” he said, as softly as possible, but Jack still woke with a start. There were lines all over his face from awkward sleeping positions, and no amount of frantic patting could get his hair into something presentable. It was adorable. Gabriel smiled. 

 

“Hey,” Jack said. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Fine.” Gabriel rolled his neck, and winced when even that movement sent twinges through his chest. “Still sore. But it’s just the second day. Think I’m doing alright, all things considered.”

 

“The doctors said they thought the program would mean your post-op would be faster,” Jack said. He was eyeing Gabriel over critically. “If you’re still sore, maybe something’s wrong.”

 

“I– Jack, no. I’ve had friends who did this and trust me. I’m in a good place.” 

 

“Alright,” Jack said. He looked around, past the flimsy privacy curtains and into the hospital corridor. “Are you hungry? I can go get you breakfast.”

 

“Nah. Just– c’mere.” Normally he would have held his arms out for Jack, but given that he could not lift them more than a few inches, he settled for flopping one hand open. All the anxiety melted from Jack’s face and he climbed into the cot next to Gabriel, rearranging the IVs around them. He placed one arm gently on Gabriel’s stomach and leaned his head on his shoulder.

 

“You look so good already,” Jack murmured. “You’re going to be so hot when they take all this shit off you.”

 

“Jack, I doubt I can even walk, much less–”

 

“I know, I know, God. I’m just saying.” Gabriel snorted and kissed the top of Jack’s head, and he could feel Jack smile into his neck. 

 

“Morrison!” They both started. The orderly at the foot of his bed had come from nowhere. “What are you doing?”

 

“Cuddling?”

 

“Morrison,” the orderly said, and Jack sighed and carefully untangled himself from Gabriel.

 

-

 

Soon after, a doctor came by, checked his charts, and informed him that he was recovering quite well. That seemed to ease Jack’s mind, though he did not leave Gabriel’s bed side. An orderly brought them a TV, and Gabriel flipped through every show he was behind on. Jack, having very different tastes from Gabriel but unwilling to argue when he was not the one in the hospital bed, settled for poking at his holovid.

 

“Henrietta wanted me to show you this,” Jack said, a moment after his holovid had dinged. Gabriel peered over at the device Jack was holding up, and saw a muscle-bound, beaming woman holding one of his sports bras over a flaming trash can. He laughed. 

 

“How did she even– I can’t imagine them being thrilled about a fucking kitchen fire.”

 

“Well, she was very fast and she is very strong.” Gabriel’s laughter was cut off by a gasp and Jack dropped his arm, every ounce of anxiety returned to his face.

 

“I’m fine,” Gabriel said quickly. “I’m fine. Just still sore. Don’t worry.”

 

“You’re sure? I can call the doctor over right now, it’s not like there are any other patients–”

 

“Jack, I’m fine.” Jack slumped back down in his chair, having gotten halfway to getting up. “And anyway, I’m pretty sure I saw her go to lunch like ten minutes ago. I don’t want to disturb her.”

 

Jack’s expression shifted from anxiety to calculation. “So your doctor’s not going to be here for a bit, huh?”

 

“Yeah…?” Gabriel’s confusion was answered when Jack looked up and down the hallway and, finding it deserted, climbed back into bed with Gabriel. Gabriel laughed, softer this time.

 

“I don’t want you to get kicked out,” he said. Jack made a dismissive noise and wriggled closer to Gabriel.

 

“Let them try.” The defiance in voice was fairly ridiculous contrasted with his sweat suit and bed head and morning breath, but Gabriel did not call him on it, just smiled and closed his eyes.

 

He was woken up by an orderly saying “Morrison” in a thoroughly exhausted voice.

 

“Come on, man,” Jack said. His eyes were still shut.

 

“Morrison,” the orderly said, now in a warning tone. Jack sighed and got up.

 

-

 

Gabriel woke in the middle of the night and could not get back to sleep. He stared at Jack, curled up in his thinly upholstered chair. He didn’t want to wake him, after everything he had done for him. But he really didn’t want to be alone.

 

“Jack,” he said softly, and Jack woke with a start. He blinked in confusion, then registered the darkness of the hallway and the fear in Gabriel’s eyes, and leaned into him.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“I– I don’t know.” Gabriel shook his head. “It’s just kind of… all hitting me, right now.”

 

Jack frowned. “I don’t get it. You don’t regret the surgery.”

 

“No, God no.”

 

“Then what…?”

 

Gabriel took a deep breath, ignoring the way it made his muscles sting. “Everything we went through, all the pain, all the people dying– I had this to get me through it. Every time I wanted to break down, I told myself, you’re getting your right body at the end of this. You just have to get through this, and everything will be okay. And now I have it, and I’m so happy, but it’s just…” Jack was watching him with wide blue eyes and Gabriel turned his head to the ceiling, trying to find the right words. “Now that it’s done, I don’t have that big thing to look forward to anymore. And after this, we’re going to go to war. And it’s just… a lot. I don’t know what’s coming next anymore and it’s scary as shit.”

 

“Yeah,” Jack said. “Yeah.” Gabriel turned back to him and he smiled weakly. “I don’t know, Gabe. I wish I could argue with that but you’re right. It’s scary shit. All I can tell you is that I’m going to be there with you, the whole time.”

 

“Maybe,” Gabriel said. “But you don’t know that. They’re probably going to keep us in the same unit but they could split us up.”

 

“No,” Jack said firmly. “I’m not leaving you.”

 

“How do you know?”

 

Jack stared at him for a moment, and then got into his bed. He curled back around Gabriel in his familiar position, and Jack’s breath on his chest was suddenly the most compelling argument Gabriel had ever heard. 

 

“I’m not leaving you,” Jack murmured, and Gabriel nodded. About ten minutes later, an orderly walked past them.

 

“Morrison,” he said. Jack said nothing, just raised up his hand and extended his middle finger. The orderly sighed and left. Gabriel kissed the top of his head and closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep with Jack at his side.

**Author's Note:**

> A birthday gift for @svntysix on tumblr and twitter– Ash is such a talented sweet and funny person, and if you're not following her/appreciating her art you're not living your best life.
> 
> I'm @tacticalgrandma on tumblr if you want to talk to me there.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and any comments/kudos would mean the world to me!


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